This World Water Day, March 22, government agencies, nonprofits, organizations and individual citizens came together in support of clean water and healthy communities for the launch of Project Clean Water’s public outreach campaign. Project Clean Water is a county-wide initiative dedicated to protecting water quality in San Diego County. The public outreach campaign aims to raise awareness of stormwater issues and encourage behaviors that promote water quality.
The campaign was announced at a press conference at Moonlight Beach in Encinitas. As part of the day’s celebration, Project Clean Water invited San Diego County residents to demonstrate their love of water in various ways, including through “52 Ways to Love Your Water,” a year-long (52 weeks) action pledge involving weekly actions that everyone can take to protect our waterways. This marks the first phase of a four-year outreach effort that will focus on how San Diego County residents can minimize the impacts of stormwater runoff by reducing pollutants that enter the environment such as trash, chemicals, yard and pet waste, and capture and use stormwater as a resource.
“We’re really excited about bringing together local, environmentally focused organizations and the public across San Diego County on World Water Day to discuss this important issue that many aren’t even aware affects them,” said Stephanie Gaines of Project Clean Water. “Water entering our storm drains is not treated, and can convey pollutants like trash, chemicals, yard waste and more to our rivers, creeks and the ocean and impact water quality. The good news is that we can all do our part to support clean water and healthy communities through awareness and action, which is the goal of this campaign.”
The “52 Ways to Love Your Water” action pledge is a year-long campaign that provides weekly small actions that everyone can participate in, such as reducing pesticide use and planting a low-water use plant, that encourage learning about water quality issues and will help protect our waterways. 
Activities are designed for all ages and youth will be able to participate through the youth engagement portal, in partnership with The Wonderment, which provides a safe, interactive and accessible space for youth to get involved in Project Clean Water initiatives. Each week, a new action will be revealed on the Project Clean Water social media and through the newsletter while also providing additional context to help with education around the topic. Sign-ups are available at www.projectcleanwater.org/52-ways-to-love-h20
In a 2018 survey, only a quarter of San Diego County residents were fully aware that water in storm drains flows into local waterways or the ocean without treatment. The initial phase of the campaign addresses this knowledge gap, and to encourage residents to become familiar with everyday actions that can reduce pollutant contamination in the region’s 11 watersheds, which are geographic conduits for water as it flows to waterways.
The San Diego Bay Watershed Management Area (WMA) is estimated to be home to approximately one-third of the population of San Diego County. It is the largest WMA located entirely within the boundaries of San Diego County and includes three major subwatersheds: Pueblo San Diego, Sweetwater, and Otay:
Project Clean Water consists of 21 public agencies who are dedicated to protecting water quality in San Diego County, with a specific emphasis on reducing stormwater pollution. The agencies work together to develop a centralized regional clearinghouse for water quality information, resources and water management plans to enhance water quality. Today’s announcement is accompanied by the launch of a brand-new website for Project Clean Water, as well as the formal introduction of its social media channels: Facebook: @ProjectCleanWaterSD, Twitter: @CleanWaterSD, Instagram: @projectcleanwatersd
Learn more about Project Clean Water: www.projectcleanwater.org.
